Great White Pagoda

The Great White Pagoda, or Sarira Stupa of Tayuan Temple, is a brick stupa located at Mount Wutai of Wutai County, Shanxi province, China.

History

The stupa was constructed during the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty, as recorded on a stone tablet there composed by the high minister Zhang Juzheng.

Architectural features

The Sarira Stupa, named after the Sanskrit word sarira meaning 'Buddhist relic', sits on a square base with an archetypal sumeru pedestal. It is roughly 50 m tall, constructed of brick with a lime coating on the outside that gives its white color. The main upper frame of the stupa is shaped as an inverted bowl. The canopy of the stupa sits atop a steeple with thirteen tiers. The canopy and bead crowning the top are all made of gilded copper. The canopy also supports 252 small bells.